Excessive daytime sleepiness in depressed women

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a symptom with high public health importance. Within psychiatric settings, depression is the most significant risk factor for EDS; however, this relationship has not been clearly detailed. The aim of this study was to describe the quality of sleep of depressed patients with and without EDS and to investigate the association between EDS and depression severity. A cross-sectional study with 78 female depressed outpatients (34.17 ± 11.37 years; range 18–60) was performed. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Athens Insomnia Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) were administered. Patients were classified in two groups: with (43.5%) and without (56.5%) EDS. There were no differences with regard to comorbidity, socio-demographic (except for employment), or HRSD variables. The two groups were homogeneous in sleep patterns, with no difference in quality or sleep efficiency. EDS was not associated with reduced sleep efficiency or severity of depressive symptoms. Limitations of the present study include the small sample size and the use of self-report measurements. These results offer valuable information to clinicians in the sense of the need to deeply investigate the etiology of EDS before attributing it to bad sleep quality or depression severity.